A regularly asked query by property managers,building owners and those accountable for handling fire safety is– can I do my own fire risk assessment?
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In this guide,we’re going to illustrate why it is conceivable– but may not necessarily be the right choice to make. Who are we? -
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The short answer is ‘Certainly – you can perform your own fire risk assessment’,there is virtually nothing stopping you from Googling an online design template for a fire risk assessment and filling out the areas to define your property,what you do,and any risks you can identify from the limited expertise you have. If in doubt get in touch -
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You might even do your own research,perhaps even enroll in a fire safety course. This may have been acceptable prior to 2005,as the fire service used to check out your building and carry out an audit to provide you with a fire certificate. Having said that,since then,the demands and law for fire safety became much more strict and things changed significantly.
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The law for fire safety – The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005,which was effectively introduced in 2006– was created to reform fire safety in England & Wales,to introduce the need for a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment to be carried out for all non-domestic premises.
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The words ‘suitable and sufficient’ when used in law,were certainly brought under scrutiny,but the definition has since been made very clear:
A suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment can only be carried out by a competent professional.
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‘Competent’ can be defined as someone with adequate training,certifications,experience and attitude. A competent person needs to have received specific training in relation to fire risk evaluations,they must have some form of qualification to back that up,experience in assessing your type of building,and the correct attitude to ensure they’re able to communicate the findings effectively. All of the above can be achieved for your fire risk assessment by using outside assessors.
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Find out More about our Fire risk assessments -